Car-coupling



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. E. CLARK.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 439,476. Patented Oct. 28, 1890.. r

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. J. B. CLARK.

GAR OOUPLING Patented Oct. 28, 1890.

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A TTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-c JUSTIN E. CLARK, OF ANDOVER,.WIASSACHUSET'JS.

CAR-C'OU PLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,476, dated October28, 1890.

Application filed March 13, 1890. Serial No. 343,695. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUSTIN E. CLARK, of Andover, in the county of Essexand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Car-Couplers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-couplers, and has for itsobject to provide a coupler of simple, durable, and peculiarconstruction which will effectuallycouple with the coupler of an opposeddraw-head, and wherein the peculiar form of coupling-link attached tothe draw-head may at any time be thrown out of the coupling position topen mit of the draw-head being used as an ordinary link-coupler. Afurther object of theinvention is to so construct the coupler that thecoupling-link may be operated to couple or to uncouple from the sides ortop of the car.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar figures and letters of referenceindicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved coupler, the coupling-linkbeing in position for coupling. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of twoopposed draw-heads, illustrating the manner of effecting a coupling, thelink'of one draw-head being in the coupling position and the link of theother draw-l1ead so disposed as to be out of the way. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation of the coupler with the couplinglink in the positionillustrated in Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a plan view of the coupler when inthe position shown in Fig. 3.

The draw-head 1O constitutes a portion of an ordinary draw-bar 11,whichis secured beneath the car-body in the usual manner, the only materialdifference existing between the ordinary draw-bar and the draw-bar shownbeing that in the draw-bar illustrated a longitudinal slot 12 isproduced, through which slot a pin or bolt 13 is passed, the endswhereof being secured to the timbers in which the drawbar is adapted toslide, the object of this bolt being to take off the strain from thespring which is usually used in connection with the draw-bar spindle, asin the event that the draw-bar is carried quite a distance from beneaththe car the bolt or pin 13 will contact with the under wall of the slotand sustain the strain which would otherwise be exerted upon the spring.And this pin or bolt 13 has another function also, namely: Should thekey at the rear of the draw-bar become misplaced, the said pin or bolt13 will prevent the drawbar from being entirely detached from thecar-body. The draw-head is provided in its front face 14 with alink-opening 15, to receive an ordinary link when its use is required,

and upon the upper surface of the draw-head at its front a horn or hook16 is formed, preferably integral with thehead, the front face a ofwhich horn or hook is given an upward and rearward inclination, and therear face is recessed, as shown at a in Fig. 2, to complete the hookformation of the horn, the said recess being so cut that when a link isbrought into engagement with the walls of said recess the lower portionof the link will rest upon the top surface of the draw-head, which isperfectly flat.

Upon the draw-bar at its top surface a stoplug 17 is formed adapted tocontact with the sill of the car, or with a buffer-block placed uponsaid sill. This stop-lug limits the inner movement of the draw head andbar.

A little forward of the stop-lug 17 the extremities of the members of aU-shaped link 18 are pivoted in any suitable or approved manner, onemember being pivoted at each side of the draw head or bar, the pivotalconnection being ordinarily accomplished by passing a pivot-pin 19through eyes formed in the members of the link and through an aperturein the draw-bar. The link is of suflicient length to enable its U or howportion to extend quite a distance in advance of the front face of thedraw-head.

In the under face of the draw-head an L- slot 20 is produced, the upperor base wall of which slot is given a rearward inclination. This slot islocated a slight distance back of the head, and the head proper iscarried out at each side to form a rib 21.

Immediately to the rear of the upper ends of the ribs 21 the extremitiesof a yoke-latch 22 are pivoted to the members of the link, and at theend of the car to which the coupler is applied a shaft 23 is journaled,provided with a crank-arm 2i at each extremity,so situated as to beeasily reached by a person standing at either side of the car, and atone side of the center of the shaft an arm 25 is formed, which extendshorizontally forward, and to the forward extremity of said arm theunited ends of two lengths of chain 26 and 27 are attached, the lengthof chain 26 being shorter than the length 2'7, and to the length ofchain 26 at it lower end is attached one member of the link 18 at thepivotal point of the yoke latch 22. The lower extremity of the length ofchain 27 is secured to the yoke-latch at or near its lower end, as isbest illustrated in Fig. 1. The shaft-arm 25 has attached thereto athird length of chain 28, near its center, which latter length of chainis carried upward to the top of the car, and serves to manipulate theshaft 23 from that point.

When the coupler is in a position for coupling, the shaft is turnedsufficiently to carry the link upward at the angled top of thedraw-head, and when so carried the lower horizontal surface of theyoke-latch enters the L-slOt 20, and retains the link in the couplingposition.

In coupling, as the opposed draw-head approaches, the link 18 rides upupon the forward inclined surface of its horn or hook, whereupon thelink is lifted sufficiently to disengage the lock-latch from the angled'surface of the slot 20. Thuswhen the link rides over the hook anddrops vertically downward to a bearing upon the upper surface of theopposed draw-head, as shown in Fig. 2, the yoke-latch also assumes avertical position immediately at the rear of the ribs 21. Thus the linkis held in the coupled position and efiectually prevented from risingupward. As the cars are drawn forward the link bears against the innerrecessed surface a of the hook or horn. One draw-head only in couplinghas the link in the coupling position, the other link being permittedwith its yoke-latch to drop downward vertically beneath the draw-bar, asillustrated to the right in Fig. 2. This is also accomplished by themovement of the shaft 23, and may be clearly understood from thedrawings Without further description.

It will be understood that a car usually has the link in the couplingposition at one end only. hen the cars are to be uncoupled, the link 18is elevated by carrying the shaftarm 25 upward, and the yoke-latch, byreason of its chain-connection with the arm, is carried in the directionof the slot 20, thereby permitting the link to rise, and as soon as thelink clears the rear surface of the hook or horn 16 the link rides downthe inclined face ward through the inclined face of the hook or horn,which pin-opening is designed to receive the ordinary form ofcoupling-pin when the draw-head is to couple with an opposed ordinarylink-coupler.

Having thus described my invention, I claim.

as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- ,1. In a car-coupler, thecombination, with a draw-head provided with a hook or horn, of abail-like link pivoted to the draw-head, a yoke-latch having its endspivoted to the link, and means for raising said link, substantially asdescribed.

2. In a car-coupler, the combination, with a draw-head having a hook orhorn projecting from its upper face, of a bail-like link pivoted to thedraw-head, a yoke-latch pivoted to the link, a rock-shaft provided withan arm, and a connection between the arm and the link and latch,substantially as herein shown and described.

3. The combination, with a draw-head provided at its front upper surfacewith a hook projection having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined frontface and an essentially L- shaped recess in its bottom surface, of anessentially U-shaped coupling-link having its members pivoted to thesides of the draw head, a yoke-latcl1 pivoted to the members of saidlink and adapted to enter a slot in the bottom of the draw-head, arock-shaft, and a chain connection between said rock-shaft, the

link, and the yoke-latch, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

4. The combination, with a draw-head provided with a vertical rib ateach side and an essentially L-shaped slot in its under face at the rearof the said ribs, and a hook formed IIO upon the upper front face of thedraw-head,

JUSTIN E. CLARK.

lVitnesses:

HENRY MOLAWLIN, Gnonen W. FOSTER.

